and 30–27). Branch was rumored to face Dan Miller on March 19, 2011 at UFC 128. However, according to Dan's manager, the fight was not offered. Miller ended up facing a different opponent. Branch next faced Rousimar Palhares on March 3, 2011 at UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Kampmann, replacing Alexandre Ferreira. Branch was defeated by Palhares when he tapped out to a kneebar early in the second round and was subsequently released from the promotion. Independent promotions Following his release from the UFC Branch signed to fight Jeremy May at Shark Fights 15: Villaseñor vs Camozzi. He won via TKO in the third round. Branch next faced of against Strikeforce vet Dominique Steele at Pure MMA: The Beginning. He won via unanimous decision. In his next fight Branch took on former UFC vet Anthony Johnson at Titan Fighting Championships 22. The bout was originally supposed to be fought at 185lbs, but both fighters came in overweight and the bout was changed to 195 lb catchweight fight. He lost via unanimous decision. World Series of Fighting In Branch's next fight he took on another former UFC vet Dustin Jacoby at the inaugural World Series of Fighting 1. He won via unanimous decision. Branch next faced off against PRIDE legend Paulo Filho at World Series of Fighting 2. He won via unanimous decision. On May 16, 2013, WSOF announced a four-man tournament to crown an Inaugural Middleweight Champion. Branch will be one of the four men entering this tournament. Joining Branch will be former UFC vet Jesse Taylor, current MFC Middleweight Champion Elvis Mutapčić, and former UFC vet Danillo Villefort. Branch took on Danillo Villefort in the open round of the tournament at WSOF 5. He won the fight via unanimous decision. In the Middleweight Tournament Final, Branch faced Jesse Taylor at World Series of Fighting 10 on June 21, 2014. He won the fight via D'arce choke submission in the first round to become the inaugural World Series of Fighting Middleweight champion. In his first title defense, Branch faced fellow UFC veteran Yushin Okami at WSOF 15 on October 24, 2014. He won the fight via technical knockout in the fourth round. On March 5, 2015, it was announced that a semifinal fight of the WSOF Light Heavyweight Championship Tournament between Matt Hamill and Vinny Magalhães was canceled and then changed to a fight between WSOF Middleweight Championship David Branch and